


Priorities

by abigail89



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Community: where_no_woman, Gen, General, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-15
Updated: 2010-04-15
Packaged: 2017-10-08 23:32:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/80628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abigail89/pseuds/abigail89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lessons learned about priorities aboard the Enterprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Priorities

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Intergalactic Women's Day (well, really, month) on the where_no_woman community on LJ.
> 
> Character: **Enterprise Transporter Chief** (whom I have named Lucia Castille in honor of Marlene Forte, the Cuban-American actress who played her)
> 
> Prompt: 49. _No, but I can take apart and put it back together with a mis-matched set of screwdrivers, a couple of meters of string and some chewing gum._

"Lucia, are you all right?"

Lucia Castille puts down the mug of coffee she's been sipping. Coffee is completely inadequate at this moment. She really wants a vodka tonic, with a twist of lime. And chocolate. It's been a fucker of a day.

She sighs, though, at the question, a question everyone seems to be asking her. It's inappropriate, given what's happened in the past three hours. A routine inquiry mission, no big deal. She wouldn't even have to cancel her afternoon seminar at the Academy. But in three hours, _an entire planet has been obliterated from the universe_. "Yes, as well as anyone can be at this moment," she responds, finally. "I know you mean well, but with what's happened. . ."

"He should not have done that," Andrea MacDowell hisses. "He is but an ensign, and you are a full lieutenant."

"It doesn't matter," Lucia say. "He saved two lives."

"Still, there is protocol to be followed--"

Castille pounds her fist on the table; the coffee mug jumps and then crashes to the floor. "No, Lieutenant MacDowell. In this case, protocol should _not_ have been followed. I did not have the full measure of the crisis on Vulcan. It happened so fast that the Transporter crew was not informed of the gravitational fluctuations and Ensign Chekov knew. He _knew_ what to do. I taught that boy, and he's a genius and he saved _two_ lives."

Her voice grows louder with each word. "I maybe be able to take a transporter apart and put it back together with a mismatched set of screwdrivers, a couple of meters of string and a wad of chewing gum--and god knows I've done that, many, many times--but if I don't have all the information necessary to make the goddamn thing do what it's intended to do, then I need to turn it over to someone _who does_!"

The mess hall grows quiet. "Now, if you will excuse me, I am going--"

She realizes then that the mess hall is still quiet. She turns and finds a very nervous, a very chagrin-looking Pavel Chekov. "Ensign?"

"I-I am here to present myself for disciplinary action, sir. Ma'am. Sir," he says, trembling. "I should not have pushed you aside as I did. In the transporter room. This morning."

"Ensign, did you not just hear me?"

"I did, sir, ma'am--" he shakes his head, muttering under his breath in Russian--"and I apologize for not explaining situation, so that you could make necessary adjustments yourself."

"Pavel, it would have taken far too long--"

"I should have relayed information to you immediately." He shakes his hands. "I should have monitored their progress more closely. I--"

"Pavel," she says, taking him by the shoulders, "you did exactly what you should have done. You did what I taught you to do."

"I-I...." He takes a shuddering breath. "I did?"

"You did. It's fine." She pats him on the back. "Now, if you would like to assist me with performing a maintenance diagnostic on the sub-coils and routers, I'm sure Mr. Spock and Mr. Kirk would appreciate our transporter functioning at its maximum level of proficiency, yes?"

"Yes! Of course!" A smile splits his eager face, his eyes alight with relief.

"So, Ensign, tell me what are the main causes of the failure of the Heisenberg compensator which would lead to the degradation of the integrity of the matter stream?" she asks as they walk from the mess hall, where all eyes are on Lucia Castille and her student.

More than one lesson has been taught, and learned, this day.


End file.
